Date Energy Bars | Raw, Vegan & Gluten-Free Snack

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When I see a recipe for something that is raw, wheat-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, refined-sugar free and labelled healthy, I am sceptical, to say the least! BUT... Let us introduce you to a big brand replica - Chocolate and Orange Date Energy Bars - that are both healthy and delicious! A perfect snack to take to work or simply to munch on to tide you over until the dinner is ready!

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Don't Buy: Make Date and Nut Bars At Home

Have you ever bought dairy-free, wheat-free, gluten-free, refined-sugar-free vegan date bars in an attempt to have healthier snacks to take to work or on a hike? We had been buying those regularly (we don't any more! We make them!). Funnily enough, we don't buy them because they're healthy. We buy them because they are delicious (Seb loves anything dried/ dehydrated fruit-based). One of his favourite flavours is Chocolate & Orange, so that's the recipe I've decided to share with you today.

These Vegan Date Bars are extremely easy to make, but more importantly, they taste great and are a lot cheaper per bar compared to the ones you buy in a colourful wrapper in the shop. All you need is four simple ingredients and a food processor.

And if you want to make them into something more luxurious: shape them into small balls, roll them in some extra bitter cocoa powder and call them Chocolate and Orange Date Truffles!

Ingredients

You will only need 4 ingredients to make these no-bake date bars!

• dates: we used regular dates (not Medjool), but make sure the dates aren't too dry!
• cashew nuts: raw if you're looking for raw data bars.
• cocoa powder: unsweetened
• orange: we will only use the zest.

Method

Place the cashew nuts in a food processor and pulse to chop them up finely. The cashew bits need to be the approximate size of rock salt.

Add the dates (if you're using Medjool dates, you will need less than the recipe states, as they are a lot juicier), cocoa powder and orange zest and pulse again until you see clumps of sticky chocolaty dough forming. If you like orange chocolate, you may want to add some more zest. If your dates weren't the juiciest and your mixture is looking very dry, add a tablespoon of water and pulse again. But don't be tempted to add too much water too soon. Test that the mixture holds together first.

To test if your mixture is wet enough and your bars won't crumble, just take a bit of the mixture and squeeze it into a ball in your hand. If it comes together and holds shape, it's ready!

Line a baking 24x24 cm tray or a few Tupperware boxes with baking parchment. Tip the date mix into it and press down into an even layer. Press directly with lightly oiled hands or place another sheet of baking parchment on top, if you don't want your hands messy. Place it in the fridge for at least 3 hours.

Lift the cooled date mixture out of the tray and onto a chopping board. Cut into bars and they are ready to snack on!

Other Date Bar Recipes

Let me know if you'd like to see more of the raw dried fruit/ nut bar recipes. I am more than happy to share them! Another favourite of ours is Raw Cranberry and Date Bars.

Other Snack Recipes

If you enjoyed the Orange & Chocolate Date bars, please let us know in the comments below! For other snack ideas, visit our Snacks & Bites section, which includes:

• Sourdough Grissini
• White Chocolate & Cranberry Flapjacks
• Apricot and Pecan Biscuits

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